The FDA's dangerous product recall process

Most products that enter stores for consumers to purchase are safe. Whether
they are food items, articles of clothing, or motor vehicles, they have
passed safety tests applicable to their industries and have been released
for public purchase. However, from time-to-time, some products are introduced
to the public with defects or dangers that consumers may not initially
see. When such products are discovered to be dangerous, they are often
recalled and taken out of the market.

The Food & Drug Administration, a federal agency, regulates the safety
of consumable goods offered to Americans through commerce. Practically
all of the food and drug products that Montana residents buy are subjected
to FDA regulations for safety; when those products fail to meet established
safety standards, they must be pulled from store shelves.

The
process of pulling dangerous items out of commerce is a recall. When a recall
is initiated on a product regulated by the FDA it can happen in several
ways. The company that created the dangerous product can voluntarily pull
it or the FDA can request that the company pull it after it receives complaints
about the product's dangers.

A recall must meet several requirements to be official, and a company subject
to a recall generally must have a recall procedure in place that it may
implement in the event one of its products is deemed dangerous. As the
recall begins, the FDA may issue a notice to consumers that a dangerous
product has been placed into stores and the recall may indicate what the
consumers should do if they have the dangerous product in their homes.

As the recall process unfolds, the FDA also audits the affected company
to ensure that it is complying with the process of removing the product
from the market. A recall can last for a long duration of time and the
FDA is continually updating its recalled product list so that consumers
can stay abreast of what
dangerous product are on the market. Food and drug items are not the only types of products
that may be subject to recalls, though different products are regulated
by different governmental bodies. Attorneys who work in the products liability
field of law may be able to offer their clients more information on how
to address dangerous product concerns.

The information on this website is for general information purposes only.
Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual
case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt
or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.